Arsenal vs Chelsea: Combined XI - no place for Alexis Sanchez

Arsenal vs. Chelsea has always been one of the first games to look out for when the Premier League fixtures are released.

Now that the Blues seem to be back amongst the elite, this weekend's game is going to be one of the biggest in years. Arsenal, meanwhile, have a very different challenge - beating Chelsea will prove that they're still serious contenders, amidst one of the toughest, most competitive seasons in a long time.

Arsene Wenger will take on Antonio Conte for the first time, so it's worth keeping an eye out for both team selections.

Wenger's mantra will be 'more of the same'; after a 4-1 thrashing of Hull last weekend, whereas Conte has some big decisions to make after going down 2-1 at home to Liverpool on Friday night.

But how would a combined XI of the two teams look? Check out the 11 players who could provide the points for your DraftKings fantasy line-ups this week.

Petr Cech

Cech comes into the game with two points to prove. Not only is he facing his old club, he's still got to show he's more reliable than David Ospina, who's taken his place for the Champions League.

The former Czech Republic international will do well to pick up 5 fantasy points for keeping a clean sheet against the likes of Michy Batshuayi and Diego Costa, but you can guarantee he'll be busy - and every save is worth 2 points on its own on DraftKings.

Hector Bellerin

Rumour has it that Barcelona rate Bellerin so highly that they see him as a long-term replacement for Dani Alves, which speaks volumes about his talent.

The Arsenal right-back has one notable similarity to Alves in the way he gets down the wing, having already made 17 crosses this season - earning 0.75 fantasy points with each one.

Gary Cahill

Everyone has seen Cahill's 'mistake' against Swansea a thousand times, not least because he tweeted a video of it afterwards, just to prove he'd been fouled.

When his head's in the right place, however, Cahill is a very solid centre-back. The 30-year-old is strong in the air, winning four headers in the Burnley game, which could make him a real asset against a far less rugged Arsenal side.

Laurent Koscielny

The Frenchman often doesn't get the credit he deserves for keeping Arsenal's defence together. While his goal against Southampton was a moment of pure brilliance, he won't be getting forward too much against Chelsea.

Nevertheless, picking up a point apiece for each successful tackle will more than make up for that.

Cesar Azpilicueta

Another player who deserves more recognition is Cesar Azpilicueta, who has long been played out of his natural position as he fills in at left-back. This is likely to be the Spaniard's last season at Chelsea, but he's not finished just yet.

The 27-year- old created 21 chances last season, so he's clearly still got something to offer going forward. The challenge will be for Conte to reign him in so the Blues aren't left exposed.

Santi Cazorla

Azpilicueta's international team-mate, Santi Cazorla, is a player who tends to be forgotten sometimes because of his injury record.

When he's fit, however, he's a must start for Arsenal.

Having played some a role in all of their opening five games, he's finally shining again, scoring twice and creating seven goal-scoring opportunities in total. Goals are worth 10 points on DraftKings, so even though he's a midfielder, he's always in with a shout of racking up big points which makes him an excellent pick for your line-up.

N'Golo Kante

Kante has already made 11 of his trademark interceptions since his move to the Bridge. In a game like this, the midfield is going to be a chessboard, so it's the Frenchman's time to shine.

The former Leicester star won't necessarily earn your fantasy football line-up the big points, but he's a steady choice nonetheless.

Mesut Ozil

Ozil hasn't enjoyed his strongest start to the season and is yet to create one of his famous assists. That doesn't mean he should be written off just yet, as last season he managed 19 in the Premier League alone.

The Germany international's pace could prove a problem for Chelsea, with fouls drawn worth a point each.

Eden Hazard

Just like Ozil, Hazard will be sniping for an assist (worth six points), having created four of them at the Euros for Belgium.

The playmaker isn't quite back to his best in that he isn't performing week in, week out, but you get the feeling Conte is agonisingly close to getting the real Hazard back.

Diego Costa

In big games like this, the question is always which side of Diego Costa we'll be seeing - perhaps both. Red cards carry a penalty of -3 points, and yellows -1.5, so the striker will need to watch that the occasion doesn't get the better of him.

Then again, the Liverpool game was just as big, and Costa got himself on the scoresheet, earning 10 fantasy points in the process.

Olivier Giroud

Giroud is the one man at Arsenal who will be quite happy for Wenger not to sign strikers. New boy Lucas Perez isn't going to take his spot from him just yet, so he should have a free run until Danny Welbeck returns in the New Year.

Even if the Frenchman doesn't score, he should get plenty of service, allowing him to accrue single points for shots on goal, with a further point if they're on target.

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